I was scanning the morning newspaper when an alarming headline caught my eye. The headline was referring to a study done at the University of South Carolina and read as follows: One-third of U.S. kids are out of shape, study finds! That’s approximately 25 million children. It’s time for parents to take action. I also recently saw fitness guru Richard Simmons on the news announcing his new effort to put physical education back in the schools. I assume he was moved by the findings of the study I referred to above. The bottom line is that we must get our children active!

Other findings regarding the physical state of our youth were recently published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Their findings state that 28% of males and 38% of females, ages 18 and 19, did not meet fitness standards and 30% of males and 33% of females, ages 14 and 15, did not pass their physical fitness tests. These astounding numbers show that we need to get our children into a more active lifestyle. The television and the computer are now battling exercise and it’s time for that to stop! The price our children will pay tomorrow for being unfit today is serious indeed. Being overweight and out of shape when you are young increases your risk for health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and a myriad of other illnesses as you age. In a nutshell, children who live a healthy lifestyle when young have a greater potential for living a healthy life as an adult! The answer: Teach your children wellness!